Holographic sporting/combat optic is a non-magnifying weapon sight that allows the user looking through an optical viewing window to see a reticle superimposed at a specific distance in the field of view. The reticle is a three-dimensional holographic image recorded on a holographic recording medium. The reticle is formed when a light beam is projected through the holographic recording medium.
Conventional holographic sporting/combat optics spread the optical path over numerous components within a cavity. To account for windage and elevation adjustments, the optical components in the optical path are adjusted. By modifying the optical path, error is introduced into the reticle output. Error may be caused by an intended output (i.e. adjust by turning knob) or an unintended output (i.e. it is cold and the substrate material flexed causing the optical path to shift).
Alternatively, the holographic sporting/combat optics may rely upon components fixed in a cavity. The cavity in turn rests upon a mechanism that will account for windage and elevation by moving the entire cavity as a whole which keeps the optical path intact. Although less prone to error, this approach requires costly housing materials (i.e., rigid materials that will not flex under temperature/high stress). In either approach, the manufacturing process requires tight controls because one is assembling the optical path into the cavity of the holographic sporting/combat optic.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a holographic sporting/combat optic that simplifies manufacturing process while reducing the physical size and improving accuracy.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.